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Bega, New South Wales
| est = | elevation= 50 | coordinates= | maxtemp = 22.3 | mintemp = 8.3 | rainfall = 859.3 | stategov = Bega | fedgov = Eden-Monaro | dist1 = 421 | location1= Sydney | dist2 =613 | location2=Melbourne | dist3 = 225 | location3=Canberra }} Bega is a town in the south-east of New South Wales, Australia in the Bega Valley Shire. It is the economic centre for the Bega Valley. Place name One claim is that place name Bega is derived from the local Aboriginal word meaning "big camping ground". Another claim is that it is a corruption of the Aboriginal word "Bika" meaning "beautiful". History and Description The Bega region was used by the Yuin-Monaro tribal grouping of Aborigines for thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the area. The first European to come near the area was George Bass, who explored the coastline in 1797 as part of his broader explorations of the Australian coast. William Tarlinton was the first European to explore the area on foot, arriving in 1829. He returned in the early 1830s and settled there, starting a cattle farm. Others who arrived in the area around the same time were the Imlay brothers, who also began farming there. Their name has since been preserved in the form of Mount Imlay National Park. Live cattle were transported to Sydney for a time, to be supplemented by tallow and hides in the early 1840s. Beef and dairy farming were carried on in the area through the 1840s, and many towns were surveyed in the 1850s. Dairy farming expanded quickly throughout the 1860s, overtaking cattle farming as the predominant industry. In 1858, Tathra was used as a port for the transport of products to Sydney, and the Illawarra Steam Company was established. In 1860, Tathra Wharf was constructed, which allowed for the further growth and expansion of the dairy industry. The region received a further boost in the late 1870s when gold was discovered in the Bermagui area. The Bermagui gold rush followed quickly in 1880. Two years later, in 1882, the Municipality of Bega was created. The Bega Dairy Cooperative Limited was set up in the late 1890s.Bega Website:Retrieved 8 April 2009 Bega is now well known for its cheese. Bega Cheese is manufactured by The Bega Co-operative Society Limited which is one of the larger Australian cheese companies. Their products are exported around the world and distributed across Australia and are available in most supermarkets and general stores. Notable local landmarks are Bega Court House and Rosevear Jeweller's shopfront, which are both listed on the Register of the National Estate.The Heritage of Australia, Macmillan Company, 1981, p.2/144 The court house was built in 1881 and consists of rendered brick and iron roofs. The Rosevear shop is in Carp Street and was established circa 1899. It is listed as a notable example of Victorian commercial design. Climate |date=April 2013}} Notable people * WRC driver - Chris Atkinson * Singer-songwriter Lenka Sister cities * Littleton, Colorado United States See also * Bega schoolgirl murders References Image:CountryTown0013.jpg|Bega Court House Image:CountryTown0010.jpg|Uniting Church Image:CountryTown0011.jpg|Old Bega Information Centre Image:CountryTown0012.jpg|Anglican Church External links * Bega Valley Shire Council web site * TheBegaValley.org.au is a popular community website in the shire where residents can have their own personal * Bega Bega Information Category:Towns in New South Wales Category:Towns in the South Coast (New South Wales)